Here's to You, Aki
by Lidsworth
Summary: Between Asami and Takaba, New Years is a special day for them. However, when Sudoh frames the photographer for an act he didn't commit, and Asami begins to believe them, Takaba finds that this New Year's may be his worse...And last. AkiXAsami
1. Chapter 1

**AN: My race to finish this begins now! It's 10:21 now and the New Year is almost here! This is a one shot, as if now, but like usual, in the near future I plan to add on to it. I'm introducing Mary, an OC of my sister, Yamiga and my own OC, Cho. Other than that, there's no one else.**

**Summary: Between Asami and Takaba, New Years is a special day for them. However, when Sudoh frames the photographer for an act he didn't commit, and Asami begins to believe them, Takaba finds that this New Year's may be his worse_And last. Also, and credit goes to Yamiga for helping me formulate some of this =DN**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Finder Series (and Mary belongs to Yamiga).**

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He had no idea how he sunk this deep into the Underworld...well actually, he did, but for the sake of his sanity, he pretended he didn't. His fingers dug into his scalp as he paced around his small apartment room, Asami had kicked his ass out weeks ago when Sudoh had come into play. And with a small flicker of hope, Takaba had believed that, perhaps he could start over without the yakuza budding into his life.

He didn't love Takaba anymore, and after the cloud of depression, Takaba decided he could accept that and live.

But obviously, Sudoh Shuu couldn't. As long as he and Takaba occupied to same earth, occupied the same physical plane, than life for Sudoh Shuu would be less than perfect, would be utterly unacceptable, it would be absolutely terrible. A world with Takaba alive meant that Asami Ryuichi could throw away Sudoh at any given moment, thus dragging Takaba off of the streets or pulling him from whatever hole he dug himself into, and proceed to have sex with him like a rabid bear in heat.

No, Sudoh Shuu could not live with that, not at all.

"So you had to frame me…" Takaba whispered as he continued his stride, "You had to end me."

His pacing stopped as his phone buzzed, and he had to stopped himself from screaming. He walked over to his bed dresser and saw the caller ID.

"Missed Call Kou, Yoshida, Takato ...7" He'd never see his friend's again, never. Sudoh had made sure of that. There was no where Takaba could go to escape the wrath of an angry Asami, there was no hole deep enough to bury himself in, no mountain high enough to hide away in for ever...Asami was coming to kill him.

His phone buzzed again, and this time it had been a name other than his usual friends.

"Cho Takaba…" His heart froze as he looked at the name…the age old name...the name of his own brother. It wasn't like Cho to visit Japan out of the blue, not even for holidays like New Year's eve. This was supposed to be special. His brother hadn't seen him in years, and Cho had planned this ahead of time too. Cho was adopted into their family, and so was Takaba. They were both the youngest out of their siblings, and not to mention, Takaba was terrified when he began living with his new family. Cho, a small chinese boy, had been the first to make friends with Takaba, thus the two formed a special bond. With all that had happened in the past, and with the time they'd spent away from each other, no doubt Cho wanted to use this New Year's gathering to reunite with his brother.

Too bad the reunion would never happen, too bad Takaba was being forced into a corner.

He let the phone ring until nothing but his ragged breathing could be heard through his small apartment. He could feel it, could feel his death coming in the form of a crazed lover.

He jumped...his phone ring again.

He quickly made his way to it, and again, he froze at the name.

"Mary…" his whispered. When was the last time he'd seen her? Certainly, around the same time he'd last seen Cho? She was a childhood friend, and like Cho, held an important place in his heart. It was sad that it took his untimely death to realize their importance.

Tears began to sting his eyes as his throat constricted. He collapsed to the ground, not caring that his spine had just collided with the round knobs of his dresser drawers.

Pain was now a mere thought to him, his emotions had began sealing away his physical senses.

"Damn you Sudoh…" he began to sob into his knees as he drew them to his chest, "Damn you…"

And with a sudden jolt, he shot up as his door was forcefully open.

Outside, he could hear the fireworks go off.

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"Why did we even try to take the car? We should've known traffic was gonna be this bad," Mary hugged her purse to her side as she navigated with her feet through the dead leaves on the vacant streets, angling her stride in a way as not to fall into the deep craters on the streets hidden by the dead foliage. Her heels clicked as she did so, and the cold December wind blew through her short cocktail dress, causing her to hug her body in an attempt to shield herself from the coolness, "Definitely should've worn something longer."

"It wasn't like we knew our car would get stuck in traffic," Kou hugged himself tightly as the crisp air assaulted his body, "but at least we're close to his apartment."  
"The bastard better not be asleep," Takato chimed in as he fastened his scarf tighter around his neck, "we're freezing our assess of to see him_Cho, has he answered?"

"Take a wild guess," Cho chided as he put his phone back in his pocket, "We got all dressed up to go out, braved the cold to walk to his house and he's not even answering...Figures_And Mary and I even came all the way from Americ *achoo* America to come and see you guys...does he do this often?"

"You betcha, ever since he got this photography job…" Kou trailed off, "It's a little sad you know, we've always been there for him, but he's suddenly gotten real silent and secretive. I hope he's okay."

"Hey, i'll call him...you said we're close?" Mary chimed in, "I've got his number, give me a second."

The fireworks began.

"Damnit!" Cho cursed, "We're late, come on let's run! Has he answered yet Mary?"

"Uh-uh," Mary responded as she stuffed her phone back into her purse, "but i'm all for running, it's freezing. Lead the way Kou."

The fireworks boomed above them, their sparkles glittering into the sky and befalling the city of Tokyo. Kou looked up at the scene, and was particularly taken aback when a red firework shot into the air.

Despite the festivities going on, despite the exciting atmosphere...the blood red anemone in the sky frightened Kou. He couldn't shake off the foreboding feeling of death, never before had a scene captivated him so.

He stopped mid-stride just to absorb the sickening beauty.

Takato slammed into him, hard enough to knock him over. Cho and Mary followed.

"What the hell? Come on! They're gonna be over!" Mary whined as she regained herself, "GO!"

Kou shook out of his trance as the ominous feeling clawed into his gut. He sprung into action, running like never had before. The fireworks above them blasted and an assortment of colors painted the sky.

But to Kou, the sky bled red.

He led them through the vacant ally, cursing whenever they collided with the occasional drunks in the streets. This was taking too long, something wasn't right, Takaba wasn't alright.

They ran into the street as they pushed past a group of loud kids, narrowly missing a black BMW that nearly hit them.

"Watch where the fuck you're gooooing!" Mary shot the middle finger at the car as it disappeared into the dust.

"That car looks a little familiar, huh Kou?" Takato looked at the dark silhouetted as it turned a narrow corner, "Kinda like that car Takaba…"  
In the background, Cho and Mary exchanged words regarding cars and reckless drivers, but Kou and Takato exchanged morbid glances. Both knew to associate the image of the black BMW with a series of unfortunate events regarding their friend.

"Guys come on, we've gotta run," Takato instructed as he took off after Kou, "something's not right."

Mary's high heels clicked into action as she tailed the group, Cho followed her closely, "Whaddya mean?"

"We're not sure Mary, but ever since he's been doing this job that car's followed him everywhere. Not to mention, he's different," Kou supplied, "It's a little scary."  
"Different how?" Cho hissed, "I don't understand...He hasn't told me anything, I haven't heard anything from him. I mean, he's my brother...he tells me everything and anything. If there's something wrong, i'm sure i'd be the first to know."

"If only that were the case," Takato panted, "We don't know much either."

The finale in the sky began, and the blood red sparks illuminated the darkness. Kou gulped as he brought the group to a near halt.

"We're nearly here," he slowed his pace as he came to the entrance of a staircase, "it's on the top floor."

Slowly, he ascended up the staircase, the other three following behind him. With his hand on the rail, he suddenly felt himself moving without a purpose. His heart came to a sudden stop... It felt like a part of him had been torn out.

He stopped, "Go without me...I feel a little sick, ill catch up."

His voice was silent, void of all emotion. He looked at his cheap dress shoes in order to avoid the gazes of his friends.

"Whatever," Cho shoved past him as he made is way upstairs, "Hey, Takato, what's the room number?!"

Takato passed Kou, taking in his stiff posture, "Kou, what_"  
"Just go, go take him to Aki's room...hurry," Kou sounded nearly out of breath. But he'd been running, so it made sense. Right?

Takato climbed the stairs until his was beside Cho, Mary followed quickly after, and also cast a weary glance towards Kou. "You need some medicine Kou, i've got some ibup_"

He cut her off with a hand wave.

"Oh...okay," she shrugged as she began her walk upstairs, "Just...dunno, shout if you need us? But not too loud, it's a little late."

He shrugged.

She met up with the boys whom awkwardly stood before a door which looked slightly ajar.

Cho held his phone in his hand which remained at his side, limp.

"What's going on?" Mary asked as she peered at the odd couple, "What's up?"  
"You see, that's what the fuck we're trying to find out...Cho called him, and his phone rang...the lights are off, no one answered, but we could hear the phone…"Takato sounded tired and weary, "somebody's in there…"  
"Okay, well, let's go," Mary, ever the optimistic one, tried to urge them on, "Aki's been waiting to see the two of us for ages, and it'll only be better with you and Kou, let's not be wierd. It's New Year's for goodness sake, he's probably just drunk!"

"He never get's drunk without us…" Takato murmured, "never…"

Mary rolled her eyes and pushed to door open, "Whatever_Akihito! Come on, let's get going!"

She turned the light on and gasped at the mess around her. Glass and furniture lay destroyed everywhere, littering the pale carpet. Not only that, but a trail of dirty shoe prints could be seen throughout the apartment, all leading towards the back.

She gulped as she stepped over the mess and as she went deeper and deeper into the apartment, occasionally calling Takaba's name.

The boys watched her disappear into the mess, doing nothing to prevent her from discovering what beast lay at the tunnel.

Her calling out quieter as she continued her search, all the while, neither boy went after her.

Silence ensued...a gasp...and then a scream, a blood curdling scream.

Cho and Takato jolted back into their senses and darted into the house, jumping over glass and furniture. The piercing scream continued, and it tore the very fabric of their souls.

And then they ran into the room.

Mary was on the ground, a hand covering her mouth while the other stood still in the air, a finger pointing towards the bed. Her mascara was black on her face as it dripped down her cheeks and onto her dark skin. She was shaking.

With reluctance, with fear and dread, Cho looked towards the bed, thus losing whatever small lunch he had eaten before. Takato fell to his knees, unable to comprehend what he'd just seen.

The white sheets were torn and bloody, the body in their midst even more so.

Mary, though a trembling mess, pushed herself up and painfully made her way to the bed, yelping as she turned away… "Call the police…" she croaked, "Hurry!"

"Why don't you fucking do it! You're right there!" Cho screamed, "Why don_"  
"Don't YELL at her!" Takato interjected, "She's scared too!"

The sudden surge of emotions brought both back to their senses, and the boys began staggering towards the bed.

Cho wiped his mouth as he took in the image of his brother, his face still green from throwing up. His pale skin was stained with crimson blood, his pale blue eyes were open and devoid of any life, and his lips parted slightly. Upon closer inspection, Cho could see bruises forming all over his body, his perfectly naked body.

"Where's all this blood.."Takato, against his better judgment, lifted the sheets over the area where the most blood gathered, and immediately dropped them when he saw the source, "What the hell...was he raped?"

"L-look a-t this guys," Mary pointed towards the nightstand where Takaba's phone rested. Next to it was a yellow bottle that had once been filled with pills, a prescription drug bottle. Under it rested a simple note.

My dearest Akihito, this is the price you must pay when you betray me.

Sincerly,

R. Asami.

"What the fuck does that mean?" Cho took the note and turned it around, "Who the fuck is this?"  
"Call the police…" Mary brought her fingers to her mouth as she began to nervously chew at them, "call the police."

"He's not breathing," Takato stated, "He's not breathing!"  
"It was an overdose," Cho added to the anxiety, "they forced him to overdose! Look at the bruises! They're everywhere!"

"CALL THE FUCKING POLICE!" Mary screamed, "I...I just can't do it on my own...I can't call the people who will take my friend away...no, I...could never."

Mary fell into a heap of sobs, "Damnit Aki...Why didn't you ask for help!?"

"We need help...our friend he's hurt, he's not breathing-No we can't find a pulse anywhere-his pupil's aren't reacting to the light...okay, yeah, we'll stay here…"

"Damit! Damnit! DAMNIT!" Cho shouted as he kicked the dresser, "WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU ASK FOR HELP?!"

"Shut up!" Takato screeched, "The ambulance is on it's way! I'm on the phone with the police."  
They looked at him...his own shock was becoming his savior. He was choosing to be blind to the situation at hand.

"He's dead!" Cho screeched, "What the hell is the ambulance going to do? We're too late!"

Takato laughed...he actually laughed! "Aki always jumps back from things like this, don't you Aki! This is nothing, right Aki?"

Whether he intended to get a response back from the cadaver laying on the bed, neither Cho nor Mary knew.

Cho looked at him like he was insane, looked at him as if were an alien...and then he looked away as he tried to conceal his own laughter.

The situation was screwed up...really, it was. It had taken him years to arrange this, years to hear his brother's voice on the phone again….and when he'd finally made it to his destination, Takaba was dead?

This was all too real...all too real. So he laughed, he laughed hard. And God, would he thank himself for it later, because he knew that this would be the last time he laughed like this in ages.

Mary cried as she looked at the two. They succombed to their insanity, and before her, tragedy and comedy played out their eternal roles. How pathetic.

This wasn't supposed to happen, Takaba was like a brother to her...she hadn't seen him in years.

Yet here he was, exposed, bruised and dead before her very eyes…What a perfect way to start the New Year….

From where Kou stood outside, it sounded like a circus above him. Crying and laughter, shouting and crying...it was all too much for him. If only...If only Akihito had told them_But then again, perhaps he was telling them all along. Had he been asking for help? Had he been pleading for help as he lied to them, as his eyes betrayed his words. Had he expected his friends to solve the mysterious puzzle by themselves?

Kou clenched his fist hard enough to dig his nails into his palms. Had he abandoned Akihito this entire time?

Had the truth been right before his very eyes? Could he have saved his friend?

Bringing his bloodied palm to his mouth, Kou took a small lick of the crimson substances, treasuring the sensation as the liquid trickled down his lips. The iron tasting substance woke his senses, pulled him out of his self denial. There was no puzzle to solve, no clues to be found.

Takaba Akihito had been dead the moment he'd become a photographer. Nothing changed that...only now, he was free. Kou sighed...He was disappointed that it took him till New Year's Day to find that out.

He pulled his palm away from his mouth, spitting out the blood as he did so.

"Happy New Year Aki…" he lifted his wounded hand to the sky, "Here's to you."

The fireworks continued to pop in the sky, and only then did Kou see the amazing rainbow of colors they created. If only he had a camera to snap such a wonderful shot.

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**For reference, i've put a link to Cho and Mary on my page. Sorry if this seems a little sloppy, it's 1:48 a.m and i'm so tired...Happy New Year! They've finally stopped shooting the guns =D I'm planning a little more to this, so don't be like, "What! No she didn't" because I didn't, as of now, this isn't over. Okay, as far as Kou's "sixth sense" goes, i'm sure you've all been very close to a friend or a sibling, and you're so close that you know if they're unwell, sick, etc.? Kou, in my opinion, is like Takaba's homeboy, they're tight. Towards the end, all are losing their sanity, i'm sure any normal person would too. Same goes for Kou's Vlad Tepish move...he's just going crazy, he doesn't know what to make out of it. Goes with the phrase, "I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all" (3 Days Grace). Also, I feel that Aki really neglects his friends, and I know he does it for their safety, but I feel he needs to tell someone. His relationship w/ Asami isn't healthy, he should get help. Anyway...that's all i've got for the New Year! So, have a nice day, be safe and may God bless you and keep you :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I'm almost done with the newest chapter of Must be the Nargles! So, don't fear, i'm not abandoning it. I just wanted to finish this for you, since I planned too anyway. This should explain the reasoning of Asami's actions, so you don't think Asami went crazy out of the "wazoo". Also, if you're going to leave a review that says, "Lame", please tell me why. And be man enough to log in, or at least make a sock puppet account so I can respond to you. And, if you HATE my stories, just don't read them. **

**Anyway, on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Finder Series.**

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It felt like his skull was splitting in two, the agony of muscles and skull being forcefully separated all came with it. It was then, after years, had Asami succomed to the side effects of a hanger over.

A terrible hangover.

Groaning, he forced himself up in his bed, being mindful of the body laying silently next to him. Despite his heachache, Asami managed to brush a stray strand of blond hair out of Sudo's angel face. The younger man had a smile plastered on his still face, and wrinkled his nose as Asami touched him.

Slowly, Sudo's large eyes opened and foggy life returned to them.

"Happy New Year…"Sudoh muttered as he sat up beside Asami.

"Happy New Year to you too, my head is killing me," Asami groaned as he pushed himself out of bed. The cold breeze brushed upon his naked skin, he shuddered. His migraine made his senses keener than usual, almost the point of annoyance.

"Come back in the bed," Sudoh whined, "it's the new year, start it with me."

His voice was irritating Asami's headache, "I did spend it with you at midnight, remember that? All night, until the ball dropped. And besides, I need a shower and a pill, my head is killing me."

"Must be a hangover," Sudoh chided as he pushed himself out of the bed as well, "Apparently, you haven't gotten that drunk in ages…At leasts that's what Kirishima said. But, you loosened up a bit_I'm glad for that, you took care of some unfinished business."  
The thought of Asami being drunk should not have bothered him as much as it did, "You got me drunk?"

He didn't look at Sudoh as he grabbed his robe and wrapped it around him, he began replaying the foggy images from last night.

"I did buy the alcohol, potent alcohol, and I did keep on offering it to you...but you didn't refuse," he inclined as he came from behind Asami and wrapped his arms around him, "I liked it though, we had a lot of fun together."

Asami shook Sudoh off, a little too roughly though, "Sorry...my head."

Sudoh backed off, "Oh, um...I'll go back to bed, I'm still a little tired."

The moment was awkward, and Asami's head was throbbing. He'd formally apologize to Sudoh later, but it felt as if his head was splitting in two. And not to mention, he still wasn't entirely sure what he did last night. Part of him wanted to believe it was sex, but the other part knew that something else had happened. And it scared him.

"Hey, Sudoh," he turned towards the beauty on the bed, nudging him slightly.

"Yes?" Sudoh asked as he opened his eyes again, "Ready to come back to bed?"

"Not, not yet_Did we go out last night?"

The atmosphere changed, and Sudo's eyes widened. Asami caught the fear and hesitation in Sudoh's eyes.

This wasn't good.

"We just went out, walked around and ate," he lied, and Asami could clearly tell. Asami didn't just go out and eat, he didn't walk around, Sudoh was hiding something from him, something big.

"As you say," Asami's tone was laced with venom as he made his way to the shower, and Sudoh could feel the mal intent directed towards him. Sudoh gulped...would Asami figure out?

Of course not, he sighed, he'd paid off the guards to keep silent, even Asami's personal guards. They were all money hogs, wave a few thousand yen in their faces, they'd keep quiet.

However, he didn't count on how loyal Asami's bodyguards were to him.

Asami made his way to the shower, and at the same time, he fought the grogginess in his brain.

There was something he was missing, something the hangover was hiding and something Sudoh was covering up. And Asami would be damned if he didn't find out what it was.

And why on earth would Sudoh get him drunk? What purpose did that have, what side did he want to see of Asami? Did he want to expose him, did he want to ruin him? Because certainly, a drunk Asami was not a happy Asami. Which is exactly why he never got drunk.

Because Sudoh was his lover now, he didn't feel like berating him for what he'd done, the younger man probably didn't know Asami's fear of being drunk.

Of course Sudoh didn't know, it was most likely just an honest accident...but he would have to speak to Sudoh about that later.

The warm shower water hit his body and slowly alleviated his headache, but it wasn't good enough, a steel vein still throbbed in his head. The water encased him as a human being would do...warm and alive.

He sighed, in his moments of weakness and vulnerability, he'd thought of that bright eyed blond haired boy...Akihito. He should've killed him, should have erased such an angel from the face of the earth; it would've been better for both of them.

But he couldn't bring himself to do so. Even with the lies and evidence stacked up against Akihito, even with the information Sudoh had managed to present to Asami, he could not bring himself to kill Akihito. Those eyes looked into his soul, and for the first time in a long time, Asami felt genuinely hurt...so he cast Takaba away.

Up until now, he'd believed it was the right thing to do. And for a while, it seemed like it was. He'd convinced himself that Takaba was dead to him, reluctantly he'd pulled himself from the boy's social life and retired to his own devices. Which, in turn gave Sudoh an opportunity to grow on to Asami's already damaged heart.

Sudoh fixed what he could, but Asami couldn't deny that he'd given his heart to Takaba. And when Takaba had betrayed him, when Sudoh had provided the correct evidence, and when Takaba could say nothing believable to his defence, Asami had lost his heart completely.

His head throbbed again.

He needed medicine and he needed to stop thinking about Takaba.

The water came to a halt, and Asami stepped out of the shower.

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Dressed in his three pieced suit, Asami headed to his car in order to meet with important business executives. He decided to let Sudoh sleep in, though he wouldn't mind the younger man's company at work. He was a young business man, like Asami, thus Asami enjoyed his company. Unlike Asami's previous partner, Sudoh provided informative feedback and suggestions on Asami's business trips, information that helped Asami's business flourish.

Takaba couldn't help Asami's business like Sudoh could, he could only ruin it by exposing it's secrets to the media.

_Great, now you're comparing the two_...Asami thought wearily. He reached for a cigar from his pocket and lit it, the medicine was kicking in already, hopefully the nicotine would boost it's effects.

He inhaled a wad of smoke and exhaled it from his nose, then closed his eyes and leaned his head on the back of his seat. Blurry images came to the forefront of his mind as he allowed the substance to swirl in his head...Fireworks...alcohol….shouting...His eyes snapped open as he inhaled sharply, the smoke nearly hitcing his breath.

"Kirishima," he snapped at the man in the driver's seat.

"Sir," Kirishima responded stiffly, a little too stiffly.

Asami raised an eyebrow. Since the moment he'd stepped into the limo and situated himself, both of his bodyguards had been eerily silent.

"I woke with a headache," Asami casually spoke as he took another breath of smoke, "It felt like a hangover."

Still, the bodyguards said nothing, only continued to look ahead at the road.

Now this was awkward, and a sick feeling crept into Asami's gut. It wasn't like him to get drunk, nor was it like his bodyguards to keep silent when he addressed such a touchy subject.

What had he done with Sudoh last night?

"I understand it was New Years Eve_" the date put a sour taste in his mouth, he and Takaba treasured that day more than anything, and so did Asami...with Takaba, "So it's understandable that Sudoh and I may have gotten carried away...but something's missing. And I think you know what it is."

Still silence ensued. Asami sighed as the smoke released itself from his system, and inhaled.

The images came back, but this time they were slightly clearer than before. Asami concentrated hard this time, not daring to let the smoke waver from his lungs. The drug made him remember, it fought the restraint of the hangover.

He could smell fear, feel the anxiety, hear the pacing and the begging and the laughing...but of who? He let go of the vapor, he needed to breathe, but as soon as he released the vapor, the memories died away.

Quickly, he sucked back in, and the memories came back, stronger. Now things were vivid and concrete.

He could see the room, though things were distorted, though shapes were hazy, he recognized the room like the back of his hand…and the fear and anxiety_Did they belong to Akihito too? He sucked in more, ignoring the funny noises he was making, he needed to get to the bottom of this. And if his body guards weren't willing to tell him anything, than he'd have to dig for it himself, though he'd make them spill if the situation came to it.

Images slowly made way into light, and he could see Akihito, though not at all how he wanted to see him. He was shaking, backed up on his bed, screaming...shaking...and than yelling, angry and vicious.

Oh, he was so angry, his eyes were furious.

And then, through Takaba's distant cursing came laughing. Sudo's laughing.

A jolt to his shoulder caused him to snap back into reality, and to his surprise, he was gasping for breath. The car was stalling on the shoulder of the freeway, and both guards were turned around in their seats, looking intently at him.

"Asami! You were turning blue, what on earth are you_"Asami waved a hand as he cut the worried bodyguard off, and roughly shoved his hand away.

"Takaba!" he wheezed out, coughing as he did so, "Where's Takaba?"

"Sir," Kirishima dropped his gaze as he slowly turned his body back towards the road, "We've_"

"Bullshit!" Asami didn't even let him finish, he stopped whatever nonsense Kirishima intended on spewing to him, "Where is he?!"

He was hysterical now, and the paleness could be seen over both Suoh and Kirishima's face.

Souh gulped as he edged away from Asami and out of his striking range, "Sir_"  
"_Speak UP_," Asami hissed deadly, his gold eyes burning into the very core of Souh's soul.

"Sir," Suoh spoke louder, slightly more confident but all the more cautious, "When you went out with Sudoh-san last night, you stopped by Takaba's house…"

"And…"Asami growled, growing impatient. With his cigarette already down to it's smallest point, he tossed the bud out of the slightly open window and lit another one, "Continue."

Suoh looked at Kirishima, whom nodded, removed his glasses, closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He could not look his friend straight in the eyes and say this, "Sudoh gave you a drink before this all_A special kind of drink, he may have drugged it, we aren't sure yet, but you got drunk pretty quickly. As simply as I can say it," Kirishima sighed, not entirely sure of the outcome, but not willing to delay the truth any longer, "You arrived at Takaba's apartment with Sudoh's men and allowed Sudoh to dispose of him."

He put his glasses back on.

The words were salt on Kirishima's tongue, and never would he have imagined thinking them would be so different from actual executing them.

He wasn't as prepared as he thought he was, and his own carelessness could have very well caused he and Suoh their lives.

"Take me to Takaba's apartment," so calm was his voice, so collective was it, that both Suoh and Kirishima paused to look at their boss, and than at each other.

Neither moved.

"Did I fucking STUTTER! DRIVE, OR I'LL WALK THERE ON MY OWN!"

Like magic, the car was on the road again, though it headed the opposite direction. Asami was growing impatient, he cursed when they dared to slow down at a yellow light, raised hell when they stopped at a red light, and all but exploded when they drove the legal speed limit at a green light. Neither Kirishima nor Suoh mentioned the meeting with the executive.

Kirishima was never one for fast car rides, but he valued his life and Suoh's life.

Meanwhile, Asami whipped out his phone and dialed Sudoh's number. In the calmest and sweetest voice Asami Ryuichi could possibly use, he instructed Sudoh to wait at the penthouse, that he'd be coming for him later so they could formally celebrate the New Year. The oblivious model was all but happy to comply to Asami's invitation.

"Why didn't you stop me?" he asked accusingly, very un-Asami like, "You knew how I felt."  
"Oh, we did try, we did. But you ordered Sudoh's bodyguards against us," Kirishima let his voice raise slightly, let the anger taint it slightly, "They would have killed his had we intervened more than we already had. We watched as they did it to. As they stripped him and dru_"

Souh put a hand on Kirishima's lap, this man was letting his anger get the best of him. He, like Souh, genuinely cared for Takaba_But he wasn't willing to risk his life because his partner couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"Continue…" this wasn't good, Suoh could practically hear the defeat in Asami's tone, the pure hollow defeat.

Kirishima sighed, "You weren't in control of your actions...you didn't even touch Takaba, Sir. You just watched, as did we. You, however, wrote a note that Sudoh begged you to

write...though we don't know what it said. We weren't allowed to see."

"And Sudoh paid us off to keep quiet," to hell with the secrets, they were some of Asami's closest friends, he would have found out sooner or later from one of them, "Obviously, we couldn't do it."

"Let's just get to the apartment," Asami redirected the conversation, he needed to see this all with his own two eyes. Until then, this was a nightmare, a nightmare he yearned to wake up from.

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He walked into the building alone. If anything were to happen to Asami, if his mask was to truly crumble, he wanted no one but himself to witness the act.

The police had already done their duty, they'd cleaned up what they could ,took what they could for evidence_But with his death tied to Asami's name, Asami doubted they led an investigation.

How ironic. Asami, whom paid the police to keep quiet, wanted justice to be served in this case with Takaba.

He shook his head_Takaba wasn't dead, he couldn't die. He was better than that, smarter than that.

The smell of iron filled Asami's nostrils as he walked closer and closer to the bedroom, and in that instant, memories started to replay themselves like a broken record.

As he walked, he watched as Sudoh's men humiliated Takaba, used him and toyed with him until he was choking on his own tears and saliva, he watched as those blue eyes caught his hazy ones.

He could still see the fight in them. He smiled, in Takaba's final moments, he was still fighting.

He saw clearly as Sudoh took a bottle from his pocket and empty the white contents into his hands.

Pills.

His men held Takaba down one last time before they forced the medicine into his system. Kirishima and Suoh made to move, but in an instant, they were outnumbered in firearms, and reluctantly retired to the wall where they were before.

Takaba began shaking violently, and Sudoh extended an arm to Asami. Like the idiot he was for allowing Sudoh to spike his drink earlier that night, Asami followed and took the younger man's hand.

He was given a small piece of paper and a pen.

The memories ceased, and now he stood above the note which lay untouched on the nightstand beside the bed which held the bloody sheets.

"This is the price you pay when you betray me" He read aloud, taking into account the handwriting, his hand writing.

Asami shook with emotion, all clashing, all at odds, all him. The night stand was instantly throw into the wall as he foot collided with it, shattering into a million pieces as the furniture fell into the ground.

The bed was next, the but he spared the sheets,yanking them off he brought them close to him, smelling the sweet scent of Takaba's blood before he made ruin to the bed.

And like a tornado of emotion, Asami destroyed the house, purifying everything Sudoh and his men had touched, every piece of furniture they graced, every fiber their scent collided with.

He reached for his coat pocket and yanked out his lighter, flipping over the cap in order to expose a fresh flame.

His hand shook...his heart beat fast...his breathing stopped….and his eyes watered.

He dropped the lighter and watched gleefully as the floor slowly ignited. The fire greedily consumed whatever it could get its hands on. For good measure, Asami removed his own suit jacket and tossed it atop of the flame, watching in sheer amazement as the black fabric caught fire.

He clutched Takaba's bloody sheets to his body as he strutted out with an insane smile plastered to his face.

"Sir…" Kirishima asked, slightly taken aback by his bosses new expression as well as the bloodied sheet in his arms.

"Kirishima, take me to the penthouse," he instructed as he stepped back into the car, "And call the fire department, tell them these apartments have caught on fire_As well as the corner, I think i'll be scheduling a funeral soon."

The door to the passenger's side opened up, and Suoh slipped in, and he too wore an unusual expression.

Kirishima was uncomfortable, but nevertheless, he dialed the fire department

"The neighbours sir, they said the ambulance came and picked up Takaba...he may still be alive, his friends came to get his valuables earlier today," Souh said a little too happy for Kirishima's liking, "though they're not entirely sure what hospital he's at."  
"Oh, we'll find out soon enough," Asami's smirk widened, and for the first time, he didn't want to go straight to Takaba. Yes, he had the resources to find the boy, but Sudoh was going to pay…he was going to pay dearly.

Whether Takaba had betrayed him or not, whether Sudoh was telling the truth about Takaba's snake like acts, Asami didn't care.

Sudoh had ruined Asami's property, touched his things.

And for that, he would dearly pay.

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**I apologize for any vagueness in the story, it'll be explained later. **

**Sudoh is an idiot. My school took away restroom privileges for advisory, so i'm learning to hold my bladder for 2 hours straight. And I hate physics. I didn't really think I would either, because I'm a beast at biology and chemistry (not to mention, if I don't make it as an artist or a psychologist, i'm being a chemist), so science usually comes naturally to me. But physics *pshh* kudo's to all you physicist out there, seriously, you're some of the bravest people I know. Okay, as for what Asami's doing with smoking and remembering thingy...it's meditation. Meditation (deep meditation) helps with remembering things, getting to a certain place in your head, and many people do it without actually knowing it. I've had to do it before, and it's actually a nice skill (helpful too). I felt it would be a little shameful to just downright make Asami...cry, so, I made him angry. I've seen this first hand, and when a man the size of Asami is angry, destroying a bed for someone the size of Takaba isn't hard to do. Anyway, it's not over, I've planned this for a while.**

**Sadly, i'll be moderating guest reviews due to some recent immaturity, but please do review!I hope you like it, and again, it's not finished, i'm still working on it. Sorry for any spelling mistakes or grammar mistakes, it's late and i'm tired, but I really wanted to get this out! So, have a nice week all of you, and God bless!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Firstly, thanks for all of you who have read, reviewed, Favorited, subscribed, altered, etc., it makes me extremely happy. You're all very kind readers, and I hope I can repay you with the content in my stories. This is not the final chapter, as much as I wanted it to be, it was lagging badly, so I decided to end it here and update it later on. **

**Please review, even if it's just to say "good", please do so. I really really love to hear what people have to say, I really do, it's helpful to me and makes me happy, so please do that. **

**There are a lot of unanswered questions in this chapter, which is partly why I made it the second to last chapter. It would've taken far to long, and by the time you guys finished it, you would've been confused or dazed. So, I did this for you and for myself. **

**I apologize for any grammatical/spelling errors in advance, and anything else that you may be upset about. Again, if you fave, subscribe, alert, etc., please throw in an additional review, it'll make my day. **

**Hope you enjoy the story, and I'll try to update it ASAP. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Finder Series**

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He felt trapped in a chest of agony and fire, all possible routes of escape and freedom cruelly locked tightly away.

Darkness befell him, pressure held him down and objects prodded deep into his body.

Pain radiated through him in a throbbing manor, reaching each and every cell of his body, straining them till the could bear no more.

The objects invaded him once again, cutting, scraping and tearing at his organs, rearranging them and pulling at them.

Than the numbness overcame him and the pain eased away, only to be replaced by an unnecessary weight pressing atop of his body.

He tried to move, tried to wriggle out of his mental prison, but he did this to no avail. The pressure wouldn't let up at all.

On the brightside, at least the pain had resided_and, he could breath again.

He inhaled sharply through his nose, and exhaled roughly.

His throat was uncomfortably dry, and he swallowed a painful swallow in an attempt to moisturize it.

It felt like lava, burning, sticky, molten lava. And all at once, the searing substance slowly made its way down Takaba's throat.

Through his closed eyelids, he could feel tears forming as the pain escalated.

Time was obviously working against him, for he believed that the period in which his numbing medicine took effect was beginning to wear off.

The pain began to return, but only on a subtle level.

Then his head felt heavy, heavier than before. His conscience began to fade, and he felt himself drifting into sleep.

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Where am I? His senses returned to him, though his movements were lagging. He felt loose and slimey, like a spaghetti noodle.

He could feel his back resting against soft fabric, could feel a mask pressed securely to his face and wrapped tightly around his head. A blanket lay atop of him, thick and heavy, the fabric wrapped his body in a cocoon of warmth.

So he was in a hospital, at least that's what he gained from his surroundings. No more Asami, no more Sudoh.

Sudoh...he hated him with a burning passion, he hated him so much...and as for Asami. Just the thought of the name sickened him...he felt betrayed, all trust that he held before was gone, and no excuse from the older man was going to fix that.

None.

He sighed, and could feel the cold liquid from the his mask fall into his face as he did so. He tried to wiggle his fingers, but any action that involved deep thinking resulted in a sharp pounding ache in his head.

Speaking of his head, it felt hazy, very hazy. Not to mention, full of a ton of led.

Suddenly, a new sensation presented itself to him. Muffled and distant, almost quieter than a buzzing bee, Takaba began to hear voices.

It didn't help that his ears felt full of cotton swabs, but he worked with what he could.

"His liver...failed…" This voice was new to him and sounded like it belonged to a middle aged man who knew what he was talking about, "acetaminophen...too much...lack…oxygen."

The words of the man he assumed to be his doctor were choppy and mismatched, thus, making things hard for him to comprehend, but he'd learned what he needed to know.

Liver failure from the overdose, check. Lack of oxygen from the time he'd spent suffocating, check.

Now what were the side-effects, and who exactly was this man spilling all of Takaba's information too. Not to mention, how did he even end up in the hospital? Surely Asami didn't bring him here, so who did?

Had his friends? Did they not plan a get together on New Years Eve. Did that mean….so did that mean they saw him after Sudoh's men had finished him.

Shame and embarrassment flooded him at the thought of his friends seeing him in such a state. What would they think of him when they saw him again...how would they treat him?

Damn Asami and Sudoh, Takaba hated them more than anything for this.

But things continued to get worse.

"Paralysis!?" The voice was as clear as day, and Takaba could hear the tone which it took.

He was...paralyzed? Surely that wasn't the case, Takaba couldn't be paralyzed. He was a photographer for goodness sake! He had to use his body to move around, to run, to get to high places_Paralysis meant goodbye to Takaba being Takaba.

Move...move...move! Ignoring the growing headache, he inwardly screamed, willing his muscles to move the best they could.

But nothing happened, so he tried again and still, nothing.

He tried again and again and again, his breathing increased drastically_So drastically that the machines around him began to beat rapidly as they charted his heart rate.

He forced his eyes open, and squinted them as the brightness of the room assaulted his eyes. His tears began to fall freely as he continued to try and move his useless limbs.

Nothing...nothing was happening_Nothing was moving.

A strangled sob erupted from his throat as he frantically looked around for the two men in the room.

Instantly, they were above him, calling his name and calming him down.

He immediately recognized one of them.

Neatly combed red hair fell to the side of the older man's face as he loomed above Takaba, his expression bore a troubling, almost pitying gaze which Takaba could see clearly through the man's large glasses.

"D... …" he croaked a long and pitiful croak as he looked up into his father's eyes, tears rolling off the side of his cheek, "D...addy!"

He was happier now, despite his situation, despite the fact that he would no longer be able to move_the sight of his father ignited a feeling of protection inside of his heart.

Thank God this wasn't Asami standing above him, thank God it was no one affiliated with the underworld.

Tears, joyous tears continued to roll down his pale cheek at the sight of the man above him. Nineteen years ago, this man had saved him from the cruel orphanages in his home town, thus making Takaba his own son. Now he did it again, and Takaba hated that his arms, arms he would have used to hug his father, were completely useless now.

But his dad made up for that, slowly bending down and scooping his fragile son into his arms the best way he could without hurting him.

"It's okay Takaba," his dad whispered sweetly to his sobbing son, "It's over...it's over now.."

And Takaba prayed_prayed harder than he ever had before, that this, that Asami and everything involved with the man truly was over.

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Mr. Takaba had nine children.

Two biologically, a girl and a boy, and the rest from different parts of the world. As a young boy growing up in Japan, a boy growing up with nothing, he never dreamed of fathering so many beautiful souls.

It was too expensive, too risky, too much of a guilt trip. Call his youthful self selfish, but at the time, he didn't care.

He'd rather be aborted than have to live the childhood he did, and he wished the same for any other child that was conceived in such poverty. Why bring a child into the world when you couldn't care for it? It's a waste of your time and theirs.

He had to steal for a living, and he got into frequent fights. School was the only thing he was dedicated to. it was his ticket out of the slums.

But the fighting never ceased there either.

Due to some strange genetic mutation, his hair was red, out of his entire Japanese class full of dark headed children, his hair was bright red. Was that even possible? He was asian, and neither of his deadbeat sibling had red hair either.

He stood out like a match. A bright burning match.

Needles to say, he took the phrase "surviving school" literary.

After his surviving paid off, he finally got a scholarship out of the Japanese slums and to one of the finest high schools in America, and happily, he renounced his Japanese citizenship and later enlisted into the army.

He was sent all over the world, and for once, saw that others had it worse than he did, that children had it worse than he did_And yet, they made it through the day by smiling. They laughed and played, despite their ailments, their worries, and their war ridden countries, they still laughed and played, as any child should.

So yes, Mr. Takaba had experienced the worse of the worse in Japan during his childhood, but at least he wasn't constantly walking amongst suicide bombers and rapist.

He felt stupid for ever complaining about his childhood_He felt ashamed, so ashamed, that during his time in the army, he fell into depression.

How on earth could he have complained about his life in the slums when these dying children, children who lived in hell every day, still smiled despite their living conditions?

Embarrassed, he turned to the only thing that could rid of his mind and body of such a heavy weight.

Work and alcohol. He became addicted to both, they became his sole reason for living.

And then it caught up with him, his addiction. His peers could see it, and they worried for him.

He was in good standings with the US military, a good soldier and so on, so his deterioration was noticeable.

His vibrant red hair was now a rusty brown, his eyes were sunken and blank, his skin was pale and pasty, and his normally muscular build was thinning significantly.

His job was killing him, killing him slowly and painfully.

His superiors were quick to put him on paid leave in order maintain his health, and they went as far as to send him to a resort in Hawaii for a calming vacation.

He drank there too.

However, the only difference was that he didn't have to work, and that there, he met his future wife.

He was dick and she was a bitch, at least that's what he concluded when he'd awoken with a hangover after she punched him in the face for lifting her skirt.

She was a hula dancer, she performed in the bar he stopped at the night before.

He couldn't help it, he was drunk, she was pretty, and she only wore straw for a skirt. She was irresistible.

She looked for him after that, she wanted to apologize for her behavior_Though she believed he deserved every bit of it. Needless to say, when she found him, they talked...they talked for hours.

As a former army girl herself (who would've known?), she understood some of what he was going through, though not to the same degree he did.

And through hours and hours of talking, through hours and hours of just being there for him and listening to him, she became his best friend, and he became her's.

He left the army a little while after his vacation, he ate a little more, spent a while and rehab, and as soon as he got out, proposed to the Hawaiian Hula dancer.

Thus, Mrs. Takaba was born, followed by two more Takabas a little while later.

And, it wasn't until Mr. Takaba had two children of his own did his mind wander back to his days in the Japanese slums and the war ridden towns he'd visited as a soldier.

His children were so happy, he was so happy.

Why not give the same change to other kids?

Call it an obsession, but like a mad man, he explained his spontaneous idea of adoption to his wife and kids.

They were just as crazy about the idea as him, besides, they had the money...so why not?

So it began.

Adoption was no easy task though, there was paperwork, patience, heartbreak and dedication required from both parties.

But after a while, waiting periods expired, paperwork was completed, and before he knew it, over periods of time, there were seven other children running through his home.

Seven souls, seven beautiful souls_of course he counted his own two biological children and his wife, so make it ten_ten lives that all belonged to him.

He treasured their lives more than he treasured his own, and anyone who so much as thought of hurting any of his children (or his wife) would face his fury.

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So therefore, it didn't bother him too much when he mentally plotted the death of the man who had hurt his son. He had no idea who this man was or why he did what he did. And as a parent, that terrified Mr. Takaba more than anything.

Questions surged through his mind like a swarm of angry bees. Would this man act again? Why did he even harm Takaba in the first place? Would he be out for blood come the second time around?

For this very reason, he paid the hospital staff to keep quiet about his son's condition. He may not know whom this criminal was, but he knew whom he wasn't. Anyone who wasn't apart of their small entourage at the moment would not be admitted into his son's hospital room. No one.

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Three days ago, he'd gotten a frantic call from his other son, Cho, about an accident that had happened with Akihito. He was always worrying for Akihito, his job as a photographer jeopardize his life, and frankly, he didn't believe his son even cared.

Countless times, Akihito had called his father from Japan, claiming that he got the "biggest scoop" or "was on the lead" of some big secret he probably had no business finding out about.

Mr. Takaba reminded Akihito, always reminded Akihito to be safe, to stay out of the way of the "Big Dogs", but that boy never listened. Never.

And now he was suffering for it, not just Akihito, but Mr. Takaba as well.

His heart was made of ten pieces, and as he stood in the hospital room, watching his son struggle to live, he felt one of the pieces breaking.

The doctor told him what he needed to hear, and as heart wrenching as the diagnosis was, he was glad he had Akihito's life in his hands again.

He'd already planned his son's new life away from Japan. Akihito was going to need full time care afterwards, and Mr. Takaba prefered that his son be cared for outside of Tokyo.

And to hear the word "Daddy" for the first time in forever...it nearly brought tears to Mr. Takaba's eyes.

His son called out to him, his fragile son. And he'd protect him with his life. Since the asshole who'd ruined Takaba was nowhere to be found, he'd move Takaba out of harms way, it was the least he could do.

"Recovery is possible, but it would take a while, years perhaps," the two had stepped out of the room after Takaba drifted off into sleep again, the doctor's monotonous tone pulled him out of his mental rant, and Mr. Takaba found himself anxiously awaiting the seemingly emotionless man's report, "...as far his his paralysis goes, in a week or so, he should regain the movement from his waist and up, but below that, no...his liver is damaged , like I told you before, so i'll be sending you off with medication for that...I've checked with the doctor you've selected to treat him in America, he has the same medication that I do, so you'll need to talk to him about refills...oh, yes, wheelchair_He'll need a wheelchair…"

The conversation never let up from it's gloomy attitude, not that Mr. Takaba expected it to though.

He was just glad that Akihito was still alive...even if just barely.

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"You can come in."

Anxiously, Kou's foot vibrated on the fabricated floor of the waiting room. Nervously, he chewed his bottom lip an in attempt to dissuade his thoughts from the inevitable. Bruised and mangled, Takaba's wounded body had been the last thing Kou had seen of his friend in three days. The mere image of Takaba's battered form foretold nothing but death and peril on the photographer's part, and all negative emotions associated with this foreboding tale affected Kou head on.

Three days ago, they'd arrived at this hospital after the ambulance had rushed the photographer , who was in critical condition, to their emergency room.

He'd fallen into a coma before they even reached the building, and all the while, Kou and the others grabbed what they could from Takaba's apartment and followed the ambulance.

Later that day, the police skimmed the place for fingerprints, got what little evidence they could, and left.

Suspiciously, on the same day, Takaba's apartment complex had gone ablaze. As delicate as they'd been with Takaba's case earlier that New Year's day, that'd been even more leery when providing them with foggy details regarding the sudden fire. Kou suspected that they'd been paid to keep their mouths shut.

However, Takaba would not be returning to his apartment. As soon as they arrived at the hospital, Cho called his father in order to let him know what had happened. Mr. Takaba's job had required his presence in Asia, and thankfully, his assignment was over.

He'd already acquired a passport for Takaba on his way to Tokyo, as well as proper moving arrangements out of Japan. Though Kou was saddened by his friends impending departure, as long as Takaba was safe in the long run, he'd be more than happy with any suggestion to move him.

Three days dragged along like a snail, leaving confusion and denial in its wake.

Surgeries upon surgeries had been done to Takaba. His liver was failing, his brain was dying_and countless times, Kou had seen the familiar look of defeat in the surgeon's eyes.

And for three days, he'd remained in the hospital, even when the others left, he remained.

Though Mr. Takaba left to finalize any loose ends regarding Takaba's near departure, the others had left to go home as instructed by the doctor. Though weary at first, they still left in order regain what little sanity they had left.

Kou wasn't ready to go though, not until he heard that his friend was going to survive.

The second day was purgatory, hell had let up a little bit, as the doctors returned looks of hope and encouragement to the remaining friend. Though he wondered if they meant the happiness they communicated, as he figured they could be casting him such glances out of guilty obligation.

He wanted to see Takaba, but he wasn't allowed to. Apparently, he wasn't completely stabilized, and again, the image of his friends tarnished body invaded his mind.

Purgatory burned over as hell paved way, and hell froze over as Kou's thoughts became centered around Takaba.

Two days was a long time to stretch the truth. He would have appreciated if they doctors came out and said it, just told him that Takaba was dead.

He was overdosed and raped, and barely breathing from what Kou had allowed himself to see. Mr. Takaba worked a suspicious high paying job, maybe he was paying the doctors to keep quiet...but why agonize himself like that?

And even if he was alive...would he be the same? Surgeries could spoil one's body, Takaba's youthful and energetic personality could be gone...would he be hooked to a machine, would he be paralyzed or mentally retarded?

Would Takaba even be Takaba?

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The third day came. Kou's burning emotions had scorched his soul, leaving nothing but a hollow shell. Despair filled him like a toxic mist, and it seeped out of him for all to see. Mr. Takaba had arrived earlier, had words with the doctor and disappeared into the hospital. That had been three hours ago, and he still hadn't come back.

Takaba was dead...he had to be. They were changing departure arrangements to funeral arrangements, picking out coffin colors, suits and whatever else was needed to have a funeral.

Kou wondered about the location...would they hold it in Hawaii where his family was from, or maybe Japan? Or maybe they'd take it further and bury him in Germany where he was originally born...but he was only half German...would they cut his body in half?

Maybe cremation, that way they could scatter his ashes in Germany, Japan and Hawaii.

Then perhaps they could throw him in the volcano_The island was a volcano, and technically, it was cremation, wasn't it?

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"Kou, I said you could come in," the voice attempted to invade his train of thoughts, but his imagination took hold of the one-sided conversation.

Was that even legal? to throw the body in the volcano? At least it made a quick getaway, I mean, what evidence would there even be? The lava would destroy any evidence there was-

"Kou! He's alive, now stop tapping your foot on the ground and come on! I'm guessing you need to see im before you go home_You look terrible anyway, geez, come on," Mr. Takaba extended his hand, and Kou stared blankly at the red headed man.

"Not...dead…?" he barely managed it out, and against his control, he felt tears well in his dark eyes. His throat became constricted as he stood up, and he fought to control the tears that threatened to spill.

"Come," Mr. Takaba grasped Kou's hand and pulled him up.

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He'd never cried like this in his life, never. It seriously caused him to question exactly what Takaba meant to him, especially if he was breaking down over his friend's healed state.

A frenzy of emotion surged within his body. Anger, sadness, betrayal guilt and joy embodied themselves into the crying heap that was now Kou.

Not expecting the reaction himself, Mr. Takaba had left the room to give those two time together.

Takaba slept through Kou's weeping, and when he'd found the strength to stand again, he pushed off the bed which he had so suddenly collapsed over and took in his friend's sleeping state.

"Please don't do this to us again, Aki," he whispered, brushing a stray strand of hair out of Takaba's face, "You're important to us and to me, please don't….please be safe."

Takaba showed no signs of any kind of response, but Kou figured his friend had heard what he said anyway.

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The third day passed, and Asami had found no traces of Sudoh or Takaba.

A lot could have happened in three days. Sudoh could be halfway across the country now, fleeing with his life. After Asami had torched Takaba's apartment, he'd headed straight back the the penthouse and sent his men to go secure the hospital Takaba was at. They'd gathered that information thanks to the neighbours, but unfortunately, Asami's pyromaniac episode left their small homes scorched and burned as well.

When Takaba's life was at stake, no one else mattered.

As for Sudoh, he wanted to deal with that treacherous bastard on his own. He wanted to make him hurt, to rip his lying vocal chords out, to pierce his evil eyes out, to rip his lips off his pretty face_He wanted to ruin Sudoh just as Sudoh had ruined him.

His sanity, his heart, his mind and his love...he'd lost it all to Sudoh, lost it all because of Sudoh.

He wanted it back, and he'd slowly peel the skin off of the model's body if it meant regaining it all.

Asami wanted Sudoh to suffer like never before. He wanted him to suffer so badly that hell would be his only refuge.

And when he walked into the penthouse, he did so with Takaba's bloodied sheet clutched in his grip. By the end of this all, the sheet in his hand would not be the only sheet soiled in blood.

When he arrived, however, Sudoh was gone. All traces of him, his clothes, his belongings_gone. And to make matters worse, Asami's men arrived shortly after with no traces of Takaba whatsoever. The hospital, apparently, had no patients under the name of Takaba Akihito.

Asami was so at odds with himself at the time, he hadn't even bothered to personally check the hospital. Confused and angry, he sent his men out of the penthouse.

Asami, in all of his life, had never felt so lost. The sheet fell to his feet as he brought his hand to his waist.

There resided his ruger.

He shook his head roughly...what the hell was he thinking? Quickly brushing his fingers over the cold metal object, he delve into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette from his near empty box. He'd been smoking more than usual, he remembered Takaba the more he did.

But chain smoking was the least of his concerns. Finding Takaba_finding him safe and alive was his utmost priority.

Forgiveness could come later, but he needed to be sure the boy was safe before their relationship moved on.

He thought of the lies Sudoh had presented to him, thought of the evidence he'd provided as well.

The images, the documents, the witness...betrayal, affairs and lies…Sudoh had presented these all to Asami, had slandered Takaba's title with information that seemed so right at the time.

His company was crashing, information was being leaked, money was being withdrawn from accounts_they needed a culprit, and Sudoh provided Asami with one.

Completely unaware of the conspiracy against him, Takaba had been unjustly pinned to the near downfall of the company.

Unable to kill him or harm him any more than he already had, Asami did the only thing he could be happy doing. He kicked the photographer out, got the younger man out of his hair for good.

He thought the betrayal stopped when Takaba had left, but the same things continued to happen over and over again.

Secrets were leaked out to enemy companies, moles were being pricked out of Sion like crazy, and Sudoh had managed to connect all this to the photographer. Takaba had no clear alibi, no clear defense...and to make matters worse, he'd been snooping around other enemies clubs as well.

He claimed it was only to help Asami, but again, too much had been put against Takaba.

Takaba hated him, and he knew it. He'd have to beg on his knees if he wanted forgiveness. He'd have to beg like he never had before.

But then again, that meant he'd have to find Takaba first.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo

When the second day came around, he searched for places that he knew Takaba usually hung around. He tried his job first, arriving there personally to request Takaba's presence. Perplexed by the man's stature, they'd been slow to answer and more curious as to who he was. He simply told them he was a businessman wanting to schedule an appointment with Takaba, and had heard that the photographer worked at the present location.

To his dismay, they hadn't seen Takaba since two days before, and he hadn't sent them any indication that he'd be missing work. Appalled by the fact that they hadn't yet sent a missing person's report, Asami left in a hurry.

Next he checked Kou's home. If he'd gotten any good information from the news editors, he'd gathered that due to Takato's recent marriage, Takaba hadn't hung around him like he used to, and in turn, rarely visited him. He'd be wasting precious time if he went to interrogate the other man. But Kou had been there for Takaba when he came back from Hong Kong, he'd even offered to let him stay after his apartment was raided due to Takaba's presence there.

To his dismay, however, the neighbours hadn't seen Kou since New Year's Eve.

They looked elsewhere, small restaurants, movie theatres, hangouts_Anywhere Takaba may have been, anyplace that attracted a younger crowd.

No one had seen him, people hardly recognized the description Asami provided. In his desperate endeavour to find Takaba that day, he came to a horrifying conclusion.

He didn't even know Takaba, at least not personally. He knew the sexual side of the photographer, knew his daring side, knew only what Takaba allowed him to see. But the joyful side, the casual side, the Takaba-side, he didn't know at all.

What kind of relationship was that, because from what he understood, Takaba knew nothing of him either.

A relationship required love, compassion, understanding and communication. Neither of these factors contributed to the sick affair he and Takaba had created. They relied on each other for pleasure and passion only. He had given Takaba shelter and food, protection and other physical necessities the photographer required.

But that was it. Takaba paid him back in sex.

Was Asami living with an escort? He tried to deny it, but the more he thought of it, the more sense it made.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo

The third day came, and Asami was a new man.

The thought of living with an escort had troubled him deeply, and he pondered on that fact for the entire night. When he found Takaba….he wanted to be different, he wanted them to be different. He wanted a relationship, a loving relationship, not a master and slave relationship. He was willing to change the cold and cruel man he was if it meant that he and Takaba could be happy together.

He was prepared to fall on his knees and beg like sinner before Takaba if it meant the photographer would forgive him. If Asami was going to be a better man, he needed Takaba to help him. Only Takaba could explain to him his faults and tell him how to change them. When he found Takaba again, he was prepared to be at the boy's mercy, he'd do anything if it meant staying with him.

It had also dawned on him, during that day, that he should actually check the hospital.

Really.

Yes, the hospital had no record of a Takaba Akihito, but neither did any other hospital in Tokyo. He'd specifically been led to believe that this hospital was the exact location which held Takaba, the neighbors had supplied him with that much. People were people, they loved money. These doctors were no different. For Takaba's own protection, he wouldn't be surprised if someone had paid the hospital to keep shut, he'd done it to the police before, so it wasn't unbelievable.

But who? An enemy? But which one?

Asami planned to investigate this matter personally.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He'd never seen an Asian man with hair that red. Everything about the man's features told Asami that this man was Japanese, but his hair said otherwise. Perplexed as he was, Asami was certain that his bodyguards were even more puzzled. Upon arriving in the near vacant waiting room, they'd asked the front desk for information regarding a Takaba Akihito.

Obviously, this hadn't been the first time this had happened, as Asami's men had come previously demanding the whereabouts of the boy. So, he wasn't surprised to see a look of mild annoyance cross the young receptionist features.

It was then, however, at the mention of the name Takaba, that the peculiar redheaded middle aged man stood up, and as if he was a member of the hospital staff himself, disappeared behind the front desk. However, not before exchanging cautious looks with the receptionist though. As if something important had been said, the receptionist hurriedly attempted to send them on their way. Her demeanor changed from annoyed to careful and guarded,as if the presence of the redheaded man had served as some unspoken taboo.

Now this had peaked Asami's interest.

A strange man had mysteriously reacted the the name "Takaba" at a very particular time. And Asmi had been observing him carefully, he'd seen the way the man's breath hitched at the mention of the name, seen the way he stiffened and suddenly rose.

Like two observant cats, his bodyguards took keen notice to the man's behavior as well, and immediately sprung into action.

They made their way behind the desk, however, the young girl stood up quickly.

"S-sirs, i'm sorry, but authoriz…" his golden stare had brought her words to sudden halt, and with a gulp, she slumped back into her chair.

Phone glued to his ear, the redhead had his phone attached to the side of his face as he made a quick stride down the halls, casting a glance to the three men tailing him.

"You know what to do," loud enough for the trio behind him to hear, the man suddenly ended his conversation and slid his phone into his pocket.

Asami closed faster than before, the anticipation visibly leaking out of him.

The redhead had so far dodged doctors and nurses as he continued his quick stride against hospital traffic.

Asami and his men followed swiftly after him as he led them through a prolonged chase throughout the building.

This was taking too long.

"Damnit," Asami stopped, raising a hand as he realized a crucial fact.

"Sir?" both Suoh and Kirishima stated simultaneously.

"He's buying time," Asami said, venom laced within his smooth voice, "We've been chasing him around the hospital for ten minutes."  
"So you've noticed?" clearer now, they resided in a room absent of all life forms except the four of them. Grey and chilly, it resembled a sort of research lab Asami had seen in books or on television.

Colorful vials, tubes and containers lined the walls, and in the center were tables, lab tables.

"It's the research department," the redhead supplied as he stood before the three, "many hospitals have them_at least down stairs."

Gun already drawn and pointed at the target before him, Asami spat toxin as he fought to control his rage, "Takaba Akihito_you know him i'm guessing. Where is he?"

The man chuckled as he raised his arms in a surrendering manner, "Oh boy, do I know him," he sighed, "as for his whereabouts...well, let's just say he's out of your_"

Asami shot before the man could finish, his rage urging him to cut any future crap the man would supply out of his vocabulary. But as skilled as he was annoying, he'd dodged the bullet the instant Asami had pulled the trigger, and now blended in with a cloud of mist which had seeped out of a pipe Asami's bullet had hit.

"Shit…." he muttered under his breath as the gas began to expand.

"Don't worry, it's harmless as it is now," the disembodied voice cooed, "Of course, mix it with another compound and viola, you've got yourself a chemical weapon. But you're not interested in that, are you?"

Behind him, Souh and Kirishima's strained eyes scanned the foggy premises, keeping an gaze out for red hair.

"Where is he," Asami repeated his question, his own eyes narrowed and alert.

He wanted to kill this nuisance.

"That's no way to talk to your elders," they turned around, the voice was too close for comfort.

But the fog made it impossible to see anyone within feet of them. And this man was obviously well trained in such a terrain.

They were at his mercy.

"But you're like my son. Rude and inconsiderate of those whom are older than you. Is that why you hurt him?" a click echoed through the foggy room, and all stiffened at the sound of a loaded gun, "Did you hurt him because he disrespected you?"

Red hair? Takaba didn't have red hair, come to think of it, he hardly shared any sort of features with this man...yet he claimed to be his father.

"Listen, why you want him, I don't know. And as much as I want to make you pay for what you've done to him, I can't. I've got a plane to catch," slowly, the fog let up as the sound of a creaking door resounded throughout the cold lab, "You're easier to manipulate than you think, especially for someone like me, who's had years in military practice. With that being said, keep away from my son. Because I know your face now, and soon, I'll know your name. Be it on purpose or by coincidence. If I ever see you again, regardless of what you're doing, I _will_ kill you."

BANG!

The pain hadn't even connected with Asami yet, not until he'd felt his warm blood run down his chest and soak his clothing.

"I'd burn the place up, but we're in a hospital, and besides, I think the gunshot wound is enough of a warning," he was serious, dead serious, "I'm not joking. Do not look for Akihito, because if I find out you are, I will kill you. And trust me, I'll be watching you."

Aimed towards the door, both Suoh and Kirishima unleashed a hurl of bullets at the redheads way. But it was to no avail.

The fog cleared, and so did any evidence of this man who called himself Takaba's father.

Hand pressed firmly to his chest, Asami gaped as a steady stream of blood trickled down his chin.

This man had hit a vital point, and if Asami didn't get medical treatment soon, he'd be dead.

Attention back to his boss, Kirishima assisted Asami the best he could as Suoh left to go get help.

Darkness overcame Asami as his eyes began to close.

He could hear shouting, could feel people lifting up his limp body.

But sleep began to nag, a deep and enticing sleep.

And all the while, he could think only of Akihito and having the boy safe and sound with him again.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

**So I know I said I would finish this in three chapters, but it's gonna have to be four. I've been working on this for over a week, and it was just gonna keep on lagging, and lagging and lagging. As a reader myself, I don't like reading loooooooong chapters. They hurt my eyes, so i'm considering you when I do this. If my writing started to lag towards the end, i'm really sorry for that. Like I said, this has been going on for far too long, and I needed to bring this chapter to a close.**

**Please tell me what you think about, personally, I had fun with Takaba's backstory. I got inspired when Mikhail mentioned how odd Takaba's hair color was, and midway, developed a story for that. I hope you like Mr. Takaba's character, I wanted to bring him to life, so I gave him his own sob story as well. Um, I'll try to have this completed before February ends. For now, you've got this big giant blob of a chapter until I formulate the final one, which, if things go as planned, should be way shorter.**

**REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! I love hearing what you guys have to say, so PLEAAASSSEE REVIEW! I'll be posting little VF shorts, you know, the archive is small, it needs more stories. So guys, get out there and start writing.**

**As always, sorry for any grammatical mistakes, have a nice week, and God bless!**


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